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September 2005 Our holiday was nearing and the children were clamoring to go. Collectively we hit on the idea of visiting the nearest tourist destination with a back to the nature feel. The kids decided we should visit wildlife sanctuaries. Out of the 400 odd sanctuaries, National Parks and reserve areas, we decided to visit the one nearest to our hometown and with an economical cost. So Nagarhole was it! The journey began at six in the morning, with a slight mist and our eager heads popping out to see any wild animal by chance. The tiger is shy of any human contact, but any animal sighting would have been welcome.  Lady Luck Missed Us By A Hair's Breadth! The two biggest animals that still roam the Indian wild are the elephant and the Indian bison, known locally as gaur. For a guaranteed look at these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat, then a visit to Nagarhole is a must. Yes, that was the jungle we were roaming in in the early morning mist. In the three days we spent in Nagarhole and, on the four early morning and late evening safaris that we took, our only encounter with a tiger was spotting his fresh pug - marks by the side of a stream. The elephants and gaur however, were less bothered by our vehicle. The elephants, often in herds, went about swirling the grass and leaves with their trunks before devouring sizeable morsels.

We are so used to seeing domesticated elephants, buffaloes and cows roaming around in crowded streets. The gaur, with its hefty build, large horns and white shanks can be seen in its majesty only in the wild. Not a single trip within the jungle passed without our sighting these imposing animals with their gleaming, blue-black skin. Sometimes they were at a distance but on a couple of occasions they stopped grazing and stared up at us from just a few feet away. Visitors are forbidden from venturing on foot into the jungles of Nagarhole. The elephants and gaur are huge and wild and humans are no match for them in their natural surroundings. 

Risky And Swift

By far the most visible animals here are the cheetal or spotted deer. These come and graze right near the forest rest houses. The other ungulates, which thrive at Nagarhole, but are shier than the cheetal, are sambhar, barking deer, and the four horned antelope. The sightings are so rare that along with species like tigers and panthers, the four horned antelope qualifies for an entry in the sightings book kept at the forest lodge. Wild Boars, foxes and wild dogs were two other species of which we had fleeting glimpses. Occasionally, a gray jungle fowl would dash across the open ground lending a dash of color to an otherwise drab landscape. And the more wooded areas were colored with short flights of coucals and peafowl. 

Birding Is Restricted

Although we were not allowed to go birding into the jungle, we had a fine time with the birds just outside the forest lodge. Golden and black-headed orioles, drongos, racket-tailed drongos, large green barbets, spotted babblers, red-cheeked and red-vented bulbuls, crimson minivets, and hoopoes descended on the trees and ground giving us a grand stand view of avian activity.
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Elephants at Nagarhole

Location • Nagarhole, in Karnataka, is really only one of the four contiguous sanctuaries in South India, which span the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.  • The other three are Bandipur (Karnataka), Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu) and Wynad (Kerala).  • The topography is generally the same in all these national parks: the topography of tiger country.  • Two types of forests dominate the region: The moist deciduous type is to the north and West of Nagarhole while the dry deciduous type exists in the south and east.  •High quality teak and rose wood trees are found here. Bamboo is also plentiful.

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Accommodation

There are a number of resorts or lodges and we stayed at Gangotri, the forest lodge in the sanctuary. If you don't order your meals in time here, you have to go to Kutta, which is the nearest town, about 7 kms away on the road to Kerala. Animal safaris are in the early mornings and late evenings. An enjoyable part of the day can be spent at the Irpu waterfalls, if one has a vehicle. Irpu waterfalls is about another 7 kms from Kutta. The Rameshwara Temple is at the base from where you have to climb for about a kilometre before reaching the falls. The falls were quite impressive although it was well past the monsoon season when we went there. But ultimately we didn't see tigers. Even though we returned a trifle disappointed the memory of the other majestic creatures remain etched in my mind even now. I hope that if you ever happen to visit Nagarhole you're lucky enough to see the royalty!

For More Information On Accommodation, Bookings, How To Get There

http://www.webindia123.com/wildlife/parks/karnataka/nag.htm
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The following are the previous articles Manju wrote for the magazine:

Life In India Without The Trappings Of Power ~ Getting Around Power 
Jaipur: A Land Of Color, Culture And Bonhomie ~ Travel To India

To contact Manju Click Here
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